The impact of police uniforms in changing views of police legitimacy and driving intentions among young people: an experimental trial

Anderson, Levi; Bates, Lyndel; Schaefer, Lacey · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/s11292-023-09586-6

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Summary

This study investigates whether police uniforms influence young people’s perceptions of police legitimacy and their subsequent intentions to commit traffic offenses. Motivated by a gap in literature regarding the specific relationship between uniforms, legitimacy, and offending intentions, the researchers aimed to determine if uniformed officers are more effective than plain-clothed officers in delivering road safety education. The study also sought to establish whether views of police legitimacy mediate the impact of uniforms on offending intentions. The research employed a randomized field experiment involving 380 Grade 12 students from private high schools in Queensland, Australia. Participants attended the "Life Awareness Workshop," a two-hour interactive road safety program focusing on high-risk behaviors such as speeding and distracted driving. The study compared two conditions: a control group where the program was delivered by officers in standard operational uniforms, and an experimental group where the same officers delivered the program in plain clothes, though they retained standard accoutrements like belts and firearms. Following the session, participants completed surveys measuring police legitimacy (using a 19-item scale covering obedience, confidence, performance, and efficiency) and driving intentions (using the Behavior of Young and Novice Drivers Scale). Data were analyzed using t-tests, correlation analyses, and mediation models. The results demonstrated that programs delivered by uniformed officers significantly improved views of police legitimacy compared to those delivered by plain-clothed officers. Specifically, the uniformed condition yielded higher scores in the "Obey and Confidence," "Police Performance," and "Police Efficiency" subscales, though no significant difference was found in "Cooperation with Police." Furthermore, participants in the uniformed condition reported significantly lower intentions to commit both fixed offenses (e.g., speeding) and transient offenses (e.g., drink driving). A moderate negative correlation was observed between police legitimacy and offending intentions, indicating that higher legitimacy perceptions corresponded with lower intent to offend. Mediation analysis confirmed that views of police legitimacy partially mediated the relationship between uniforms and offending intentions, explaining a significant portion of the variance in both transient and fixed offending behaviors. The findings suggest that police uniforms serve as a critical visual symbol of authority that enhances perceived legitimacy and reduces self-reported intentions to offend among young drivers. The study concludes that uniformed police engagement in educational settings is more effective than plain-clothed engagement for fostering legitimacy and compliance. These results imply that police uniforms impact perceptions beyond mere authority, influencing views of performance and efficiency. Consequently, the involvement of uniformed officers in community education programs may offer a viable strategy for improving police-community relations and reducing traffic-related risks, particularly among young drivers.

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